Scholarships benefit staff

Bill Daggett, CEO of the International Center for Leadership in Education, and his wife, Bonnie Daggett, a Wildwood Foundation board member, join Marcia Gaston a Wildwood Programs worker who used the scholarship. The Daggetts were lifelong friends of the late Bart Conover. (Tom Schreck)

Like many nonprofits in New York state, Wildwood Programs is absorbing the realities of sobering budget news, but found reason to celebrate last month.

Thanks to a bequest from the late Hobart “Bart” Conover, more than 100 Wildwood staffers graduated from the College of Direct Support, a nationwide program administered by the University of Minnesota that provides continuing education for direct support professionals and others who care for people with disabilities.

A retired education professional and World War II veteran, Conover was a loyal supporter of Wildwood Programs, which serves about 1,500 people of all ages throughout the Capital Region with autism, complex learning difficulties and other developmental disabilities. He left the organization $1.3 million after his death at age 96 in 2011, which along with a grant from the Hearst Foundation provides tuition scholarships to Wildwood employees interested in receiving the specialized, intensive online training.

“This is a perfect example of a community partner, a private foundation and a nonprofit getting together to better not only a single organization, but also people with disabilities, their families and our community as a whole,” said Mary Ann Allen, executive director of Wildwood Programs

Most people working in direct support services make minimum wage, or just a bit more. Before the Conover Scholar Endowment Fund was created, only a handful of Wildwood employees had been able to afford tuition. A salary incentive is provided upon successful completion.

Over the past 10 years, the College of Direct Support curriculum has been built on the premise that everyone deserves the chance to lead a rich, rewarding life. While it’s not a traditional degree-issuing institution, the program continues to make a positive impact.

“We were overwhelmed by the number of people who participated, and so many said that it was some of the most meaningful learning they had ever done,” said Allen, who knows firsthand how vital this training can be — her 26-year-old son has autism. “Their level of dedication to the people we serve is unbelievable.”

Notification that came with the amendments explained the cuts were necessary because of a $500 million budget gap created by a reduction in what the federal government is paying for care of the developmentally disabled under the Medicaid program.

Allen said that although the amount of the proposed cut decreased in the final budget, Wildwood and hundreds of nonprofit groups are still facing a 4.5 percent cut, which may prompt layoffs and result in fewer services.

“We’re looking at a deficit of $675,000, and larger agencies are looking at cuts in excess of $1 million,” said Allen. “As a person with a child in the game, I think there’s a great shortsightedness in regard to the big picture.”

Transforming lives

For information about the many services offered by Wildwood Programs, call 836-2300 or click here.